Secrets from the Underground
by ICanHearPokemon'sVoices
Summary: A dark force has taken over Naosu and Eiyugimu. Now it sets its eyes on Satokibi. Vanellope and Taffyta are forced to abandon their country and come across others who they never realized would make such an impact on them, their country, and their relationship; for the underground can hold many secrets on how they are all connected. Vanilla Taffy, Raphix, and PeanutButterPumpkins.
1. Prologue

Prologue

**So this is the story that I told you guys about in I Can Fix You. :3 I hope you enjoy it because I'm having fun with this. :)**

**Sorry for the shortness, but this is the prologue... :/ Don't worry, the next chapter (or hopefully chapters) will be longer! :D  
**

**Umm...let me see...I have nothing else to say except I am going to repeat the pairings that are going to show up.**

**Vanelyta (VanellopexTaffyta), Raphix (RalphxFelix), and PeanutButterPumpkins (otherwise known as GloydxRanics). So if you guys don't like yaoi or yuri turn away now.**

**Again: If you don't like YAOI or YURI, leave this story!**

**YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.**

**Otherwise... Please enjoy to your heart's content. :D**

**I don't own WIR. :/**

**Please Read and Review. :)**

* * *

The room was dimly lit thanks to the flickering flames of a few candles.

Hanging on a back wall was a large map depicting three considerable-sized continents with many small islands scattered between them.

A huge shadow appeared in-between the two candles standing on either side of the chart, causing the tiny flares to shimmer from the gust of wind created by the form's entrance.

The silhouette observed the large X carved into two of the lands, leaving he third one with a question mark.

"Satokibi is the last of them," the shadow murmured, dark claws touching the landmass marked with a question. "I have not attempted to seize their land as they are mere kids who probably are too caught up in their sugar-coated dreams to realize that Naosu and Eiyugimu have already fallen under my claws months ago. However, I want to make certain to quash any hopes of rebellion."

The continent was shredded by a glint of talons.

"Mobilize the troops. We depart now."

The whirring of wings broke the silence.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

***sighs* What a day...I was working on this an hour or two after I woke up, got bothered several times by my mum, went to the mall with her for 2 hours and now, by 12:30, I have it done. :3  
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**Yessssss! :D So yeah the first chapter's done of Secrets; I won't take too long for an Author's Note since this is a long chapter (and the others might be as well :3)  
**

**...Sorry for any, ya know, mistakes... :/ I didn't feel like double-checking.  
**

**I do not own WIR. :/  
**

**Please Read and Review. :)**

* * *

The roar of engines filled the saccharine air.

Several karts shot down a strip of colorful road, heading toward a steep incline that propelled the karts into an extensive valley that contained several humongous gumball machines at the top which released their prizes into the U-shaped gorge, forcing the drivers of the karts to avoid the enormous sugary spheres.

Satokibi was an amazing region; everything was made entirely out of candy with its landmark being a chocolate mountain in the shape of a soda bottle.

The inhabitants of the land were even more intriguing—15 children of only 9 years old with racing cars fashioned out of assorted sweets.

A few miles from Diet Cola Mountain stood a proud white castle carved out of milk chocolate where the princess of the land resided.

Inside the grand pink hall, a small green orb with large emerald eyes currently paced in front of a tall white throne where the princess sat, jellybean-shaped hands and feet not attached to his body, and monotone voice echoing throughout the silent room.

In her throne, the princess had one cheek resting in her hand while the other hand lazily tapped the throne's arm, obviously bored out of her mind.

The princess was slender for a nine-year-old, with fair skin.

Her black hair, which had a sprinkle of assorted small candies in it, was tied up in a high ponytail by a strip of red licorice.

The frilly pink dress she wore, along with a tiara resting atop her head, was apparently bothersome as the collar of the dress was scratched and pulled at every so often.

"Sour Bill," the princess whined. "Can I go now, please? I'm missing the Roster Race!"

"Sorry, princess—"

"_President_!"

"President Vanellope," Sour Bill amended, staring at Vanellope with his watery eyes. "But as the president, you have to know what is going on in your kingdom."

"I don't want to be princess anymore, though!" Vanellope complained, giving a huff as she dropped her chin in her right hand, staring off to the side moodily. "It's no fun."

"My apologies, Vanellope," Sour Bill murmured as he began walking toward a nearby set of stairs.

With his dour attitude, Vanellope couldn't even tell if he was sorry.

"Now, if you would follow me to the Grand Room, we will start with the documents."

"Okay…" Vanellope gradually trudged after the green candy before she paused at the foot of the stairs, hazel eyes glancing behind her.

Peeking back at Sour Bill, who was trotting up the stairs without a care, Vanellope quietly began to back up before stealthily tip-toeing toward the enormous front doors of the castle.

Once outside on the black and white chocolate tiled walkway, Vanellope exhaled before grinning.

Her form flickered for a brief moment and the dress dropped to the ground, revealing a different set of clothes Vanellope wore beneath it.

An aqua-green hoodie with red slivers of licorice for drawstrings, a Reese's peanut butter cup wrapper as a skirt, black boots, and green, white, and red stockings.

Vanellope sighed, stretching her arms above her head, before hopping into a nearby white, royal kart and driving off.

As she passed through the gates where two donut policemen sat on their coffee break, Vanellope yelled, "Wynchel, Duncan, I'm going to the race! Hide my dress from Sour Bill until I get back!"

The two donuts waved as the princess's kart disappeared down the winding road.

* * *

The crowd, made up of assorted candy, cheered loudly as the racers crossed the checkered finish line.

Names began appearing on the huge screen above the stands, starting with the first nine racers that passed the line first.

A girl with a helmet shaped like a flat strawberry hopped out of her Jolly Rancher pink kart, blue eyes staring at the screen sullenly.

"Dang it, I lost to Rancis again!" the girl banged her fist against the side of her kart in frustration.

The girl's name was Taffyta Muttonfudge, the second best racer in Satokibi.

Her cream-colored hair was cut to her chin with her bangs neatly cut to just above her eyes.

Her theme was pink—a light pink shirt underneath a dark pink jacket, pink shoes, and pinkish-red and white socks.

Taffyta glared at Rancis, who also happened to be one of her best friends.

Rancis Fluggerbutter was the poster boy for perfection and narcissism with his blonde hair styled into a perfect sideways coif, sparkling sapphire eyes, and the Reese's peanut butter cup atop his head.

Standing beside his peanut butter cup kart, Rancis patted its side lovingly before glancing at Taffyta when he sensed her glare.

Clicking his tongue, Rancis gave a wink before sauntering over to a few other racers.

With a disgusted growl, Taffyta crushed the lollipop she had been sucking on between her teeth before spitting the stick out.

"Don't let him get to you, Taff," Candlehead, another friend of Taffyta's, said as she put a hand on Taffyta's shoulder. "He's just getting a big ego since princess Vanellope hasn't raced lately."

Candlehead had green hair split into two short pigtails, emerald eyes, and wore a pink jacket with a matching pink skirt, brown leggings dotted with pink spots, and brown shoes; a large cupcake hat sat on her head with the candle at the top lit.

"That's president to you, Candlehead!" a voice cried and everyone gasped as Vanellope stopped her kart beside the others.

"Well, if it isn't the president come to mingle with the commoners," Taffyta said teasingly as Vanellope walked up to the group.

"Ha, ha, Taffyta," Vanellope responded sarcastically. "Very funny."

"Still glitching?"

"It's not a glitch," Vanellope mumbled, stuffing her hands inside her hoodie pocket as her form flickered again. "It's just Pixlexia."

Taffyta smiled slightly. "Welcome back, president."

Vanellope returned the smile before turning to the other racers.

"All right, guys. You can to home and rest. I'll see you all tomorrow."

Gradually, the crowd and racers cleared the track until the only ones left were Vanellope and Taffyta.

"So…" Vanellope kicked at the ground before looking at the strawberry-themed racer with a mischievous smirk. "Wanna race?"

Taffyta grinned. "Oh, you are on, Miss President."

The two lined their karts up at the starting line side by side and climbed into their karts.

"Okay, on go," Vanellope said, looking at Taffyta.

Taffyta nodded, revving her engine in anticipation.

"3….2…1…duck!"

"Huh…?" Taffyta glanced around for the bird, but only heard the screech of tires and Vanellope's cheer.

"Go!"

"Wha—hey!" Taffyta chased after Vanellope who was already a considerable distance ahead of her.

When she caught up to the black-haired racer, Taffyta yelled, "You cheated!"

"I never said there was something before go!" Vanellope cackled, speeding ahead of Taffyta as they reached Gumball Alley.

The two continued their race, passing through Lollipop Forest and coming to the coldest part of Satokibi, Ice Cream Peak.

Vanellope was stuck behind Taffyta as the icy road had become big enough for only one vehicle and the strawberry-themed racer had slipped ahead of her.

As the two neared the entrance to Rainbow Bridge, Vanellope noticed several rickety signs that blocked off a closed road.

Smirking to herself, Vanellope swerved to the right.

Taffyta briefly glanced behind her when she heard Vanellope's kart crash into the road closed signs.

"What are you doing?!" she yelled with a laugh. "The road's closed, stupid!"

Confident in the fact that she was going to win, Taffyta kept up her speed as her kart pushed itself up the steep, multi-colored crystal road before it rushed down the hill, enhancing her speed.

As the road split into two before merging back into one up ahead, Taffyta heard the roar of an engine and glanced around for the source.

Vanellope abruptly landed in front of her out of nowhere, startling Taffyta so much she swerved sharply before rapidly regaining control of her kart again.

"That was a shortcut!" Vanellope yelled back at Taffyta as the two exited the tunnel. "Ah-doy!"

Taffyta caught up to Vanellope and they raced beside each other, all competitiveness in them gone.

Vanellope glanced up at the sky and the two slowed their karts to a stop a few meters from the finish line.

"Wow, look at the sky…" Vanellope muttered. "Looks like it might rain…"

"I don't think it's rain…"

"Wait, shh, you hear that?"

The two remained quiet and they began to hear the loud humming of a hundred wings.

"What is that?" Taffyta asked.

"I dunno…"

Out of nowhere, several huge bugs dropped down on either side of the two racers and behind them.

They were strange bugs, robotic, with six legs and six capsule-like appendages along their rounded backs.

Sharp pincers protruded from their fang-filled mouths as the two pairs of green eyes stared at the children, glowing green tails dragging along the ground.

"What the hell are those things?!" Vanellope asked as the strange bugs began to tear apart the track, devouring everything in sight.

"I don't know and I don't want to find out!" Taffyta explained as she gunned her engine. "Let's get out of here!"

The two took off down the track, but only managed to go a few feet before a bug much larger than the others landed in front of them, causing both Vanellope and Taffyta to scream and skid their karts to a halt.

This bug was unlike the others.

Its gigantic purple and pink body was structured like a centipede with an expandable neck made of Lifesavers.

It had six golden pincers, four large ones that acted as legs and two tiny ones on its chest; it also sported long, thin arms with four purple claws.

There were purple markings along its head and underneath its mouth while a small crown with five rounded points sat atop its head.

A strip of fuzzy grey hair sat above each ear where a white collar, with a red bow tie attached, was attached to the neck.

The creature folded its light pink wings against its back, brown eyes watching the two racers coldly.

"Hello," he finally greeted, the twin green tails he sported curling upward majestically.

Vanellope scowled at the creature, her princess instincts kicking in.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "What are you doing in my kingdom?"

"Who am I?" the creature repeated, placing a clawed hand against his chest hurtfully before grinning. "Why, I'm Turbo, the greatest racer ever! And I'm afraid that this is no longer your kingdom."

Turbo's eyes narrowed.

"It's mine."

"Over my dead body!"

Turbo chuckled, smiling pleasantly.

"Oh, how cute. Little pixie's got bite."

"Vanellope!" Taffyta hissed, glancing at Vanellope anxiously. "Don't antagonize him!"

Turbo's smile turned deadly.

"That can be arranged," he murmured, turning around and striding toward the castle, folding his arms behind his back.

"Dispose of them."

The bugs shrieked, instantly beginning to surround Taffyta and Vanellope.

The two yelped, immediately turning their karts halfway around and accelerating toward Candy Cane Forest, the insects tearing after them.

In an attempt to lose the creatures, the two racers zig-zagged between the peppermint trees expertly.

The bugs, too large and clumsy, were unable to follow the movements easily, ramming into the trees or crashing into each other.

Close to the Satokibi's east shore, Vanellope and Taffyta ditched their karts, running onto the sugar beach where multiple rafts sat.

Vanellope suddenly stopped, glancing behind her as Taffyta began pushing the raft into the crystal blue carbonated water.

"Whoa, whoa, wait," she said, anxiously scanning the distant forest. "What about the others?"

"They'll be fine!" Taffyta said, grabbing Vanellope's arm and pulling her toward the raft. "Now, come on!"

"We—we can't just leave them to those things!" Vanellope protested as she was pushed onto the raft, Taffyta shoving it even further out into the ocean.

"They'll be fine," Taffyta persisted as she leaped onto the raft, shaking out her wet feet. "If I know Rancis and Candlehead, they'll keep everyone safe in my absence."

"But we can't just—" Vanellope looked back toward the beach only to gasp.

The bugs were swarming the shore, destroying the other rafts.

Growing furious, Vanellope stomped over to Taffyta and pushed her.

"Hey!" Taffyta whirled around to face Vanellope. "What was—"

Vanellope grabbed Taffyta by the front of her jacket.

"Why did you do that?! They won't survive! We have to go back!"

"Are you nuts? Did you see those things?"

"All the more reason to return! I'm the princess of Satokibi, I can't—"

"Your sole priority is to remain alive. You know that, I know that, Rancis, everyone; if you die, who will lead us? You have no heir and you never will."

Vanellope sighed, slowly relaxing her grip and setting Taffyta back on the ground.

"Everyone will be okay," Taffyta continued softly. "You just have to trust them."

The black-haired racer didn't respond, choosing instead to walk to the back of the back of the boat and placing her hands on the pretzel railing, staring at her slowly disappearing home.

She watched the bugs flying around, the ones scuttling along the ground, the eerie dark green sky in place of the familiar blue one with the fluffy pink cotton candy clouds.

Her heart ached.

With a sigh, Vanellope glanced down briefly, her grip tightening, before looking back up and staring at Satokibi solemnly.

"I'll be back," she whispered, more to herself than anything. "And when I do return, I'll be taking back what's mine."


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Apparently when I write these chapters, I'm enjoying myself too much xD So this will be a short author's note.  
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**I just wanted to thanks those people who are _actually_ reviewing this story, even if they haven't done so for every chapter. Special props to: GhiraLinkLover4Ever, Kylemew, raven2547, supersaiyan3goku, and Guest for reviewing. :3 Kudos to you guys.  
**

**Sorry for any spelling mistakes, I really don't check that deeply for errors. :3  
**

**Anyway...let me see...I think that's it. :)  
**

**I don't own WIR. :(  
**

**Please read and review. :D**

* * *

The sunshine penetrated Vanellope's eyelids and the princess squinted at the sun above her before giving a groan and turning on her side, curling into a ball in an attempt to block out the harsh light.

"Taffyta…" Vanellope whined, lifting up her head slightly as she looked for the cream-haired girl. "How long have we been floating in this god-forsaken ocean?"

Taffyta, who was leaning against one of the side railings, moaned to herself; being stuck on the boat for so long, she was beginning to get seasick.

"Two…" Taffyta closed her eyes in hopes that not staring at the rocking waves would settle her stomach. "Three days?"

Vanellope exclaimed loudly, turning on her back and throwing her hood over her eyes to protect them from the sun.

"It's felt like a…a billion years!"

"We should…" Taffyta winced as another bout of nausea hit her. "Count ourselves lucky those bugs haven't seen us. We're sitting marshmallow ducks out here."

Before Vanellope could give a sarcastic retort, her stomach rumbled and she sat up, pulling her hood down and staring at her stomach.

"I'm hungry," she stated, looking at Taffyta. "Ya got any food on this tub?"

"We didn't need food…" Taffyta rested her back against the pretzel railing, laying her head on top of her knees in an effort to disregard the waves and Vanellope. "We used these rafts to go to and from Tapper Island which was only four hours roundtrip."

"Boo you…" Vanellope grumbled, drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs as she dropped her chin on top of her knees, staring ahead of her grumpily.

It fell silent, the only noises being the splashing waves and the occasional call of a bird.

Finally, Vanellope asked, "Say, Taff, where are we going?"

Taffyta sighed, her impatience with the princess growing while her nausea slowly waned.

Lifting her head up slightly, the racer glanced at Vanellope wearily.

"I don't know…" she admitted quietly. "I guess we'll keep going until we hit land."

Vanellope didn't respond for a minute, expression pensive, before she whispered, "What if we don't?"

Taffyta's eyes widened at the question before averting her gaze, choosing to remain silent.

* * *

It was deathly still on the raft as the two refugees waited for some sign of land or to slowly die of starvation; Vanellope, in an attempt to lighten the mood, had voted that if it came down to it, she got to eat Taffyta first.

Taffyta had, of course, glared at her, silently telling Vanellope that it wasn't the time for her twisted sense of humor, so Vanellope had quieted down and the two had remained silent for the past few hours.

Vanellope idly chewed on the drawstrings of her hoodie, hoping that the taste of red licorice would calm her irritated stomach.

Taffyta was still seated against the railing, arms locked around her legs as she lightly slid one foot back and forth, gazing hollowly at the Kit-kat boards beneath her.

Eventually, Vanellope stood up, unable to take the silence any longer.

"That's it!" she threw up her hands in annoyance. "I am gonna just go look for some fish in the water!"

"You don't know what's in the water, though," Taffyta protested, watching as Vanellope headed toward the side of the boat. "There could be Sour Patch sharks."

"I don't care! I'm starving!"

Just as Vanellope was about to jump into the water, there was a soft thud and the raft came to a rough halt, causing Vanellope to topple backward from the abrupt stop and Taffyta to fall on her side.

Rubbing her head, the black-haired racer glared at Taffyta.

"Watch where you're steering this thing, Taffyta!"

"I'm not steering it!" Taffyta objected as she and Vanellope slowly stood up.

"Then what…"

The two walked toward the front of the raft and gasped, staring at the grass, trees, and dirt road stretching out in front of them.

"Land!" Vanellope breathed, eagerly shaking Taffyta by the shoulders. "Look, Taff, land!"

"I can see it just as clearly as you can."

Enthusiastically, Vanellope leaped onto the shore, her body glitching a bit from the bumpy impact, and ran off, shouting, "Land, sweet land!"

"Don't run off too far, president!" Taffyta called, feeling like a mother keeping watch over a rambunctious child. "You don't know what's out there!"

Carefully, Taffyta jumped to the ground, steadying herself when she got a bout of vertigo from being out on the ocean for so long.

After making certain she could stand steadily, Taffyta dragged the raft halfway onto the shore so it wouldn't' float away.

"Okay, Vanellope, now we should…" Taffyta glanced behind her only to see trees. "Vanellope?"

Puzzled as to where Vanellope could be, Taffyta walked forward, glancing around.

"Vanellope! Hey, glitch, where are yo—ow!"

Taffyta straightened her hat and looked up, searching for whatever had collided with her head.

Another object struck her forehead and Taffyta shouted, "Hey!"

"Huh?" Vanellope flipped upside down, her legs holding onto a branch, gripping an apple between her teeth.

Grabbing onto the branch with one hand, Vanellope turned right side up and dropped to the ground, pulling the apple from her mouth.

"Sorry, Taff. I saw this apple tree and I couldn't help myself."

Skeptically, Taffyta picked up one of the discarded fruits and stared at it.

"Apples?" she asked only to wince when Vanellope squealed, pointing to a nearby tree.

"Peaches!"

Before Taffyta could stop her, Vanellope was already climbing the tree, picking several peaches and dropping them on the ground.

After gathering a few peaches, Vanellope jumped to the ground, mixing the apples and peaches before sitting down and beginning to eat.

Taffyta stared at Vanellope, not quite sure how she should react to the princess's behavior.

"Well?" Vanellope paused as she glanced up at Taffyta. "Ya gonna eat or not?"

Taffyta stared at the food warily before smoothing down her skirt and sitting down, grabbing an apple.

Vanellope rolled her eyes as she took a bite of her third apple, watching as Taffyta rubbed the apple off on her shirt before taking a dainty bite.

As they ate, Vanellope glanced around, taking in their surroundings.

The land was barren, with only a few surviving trees, and unnaturally silent; there were no animal sounds and no signs of life.

"Where do you think we are?" she asked, wiping her hands on her hoodie before leaning back on her palms.

"Judging by the trees, which are oddly shaped, I'd have to say Naosu," Taffyta replied, also surveying her surroundings. "But I'm not entirely sure…"

Vanellope hummed, picking up another peach as she wondered whether she wanted it or not, before she froze, her ears picking up on a faint buzzing noise.

Frowning slightly, Vanellope strained to listen, trying to hear what the noise was.

When the droning began to grow louder, Vanellope hopped to her feet and grabbed Taffyta's arm.

"Hey!" Taffyta protested as Vanellope dragged her toward a nearby bush where she pushed the cream-haired racer down before crouching down herself. "What was—"

"Shh!" Vanellope hissed, shooting a glare at Taffyta who immediately fell silent.

The only noise heard was the thrumming of wings and a small thump as something landed before snuffling was heard.

Gingerly, Vanellope pulled aside some of the shrub's branches and peered out, trying to see what was on the other side.

One of the mechanical bugs came into her vision, causing Vanellope to gasp softly and pull back slightly.

The bug sniffed the discarded fruit, pincers clicking together, before experimentally consuming an apple core; its metallic exoskeleton turned bright red after eating the leftover fruit.

It continued to walk around for a few more seconds before finally opening its pale green wings and taking flight.

When they couldn't hear the humming wings anymore, Vanellope and Taffyta stood up with a collective sigh.

"What _are_ those things?" Vanellope asked, staring at the darkening, greenish sky curiously.

"I don't know; why don't you go ask them?" Taffyta replied snarkily as she stepped around the bush and began to head in a random direction. "I, on the other hand, refuse to spend the night out in the open so I am going to find some sort of shelter."

"Well, wait for me!" Vanellope protested, trotting after Taffyta. "I'm coming, too!"

* * *

The two walked quickly, but quietly, keeping an eye out for any sort of protection.

Eventually, they came across a dim park that had a pond in the middle of it.

Standing a few miles from the pond was a tall building with six floors, the latter being exposed to the sky as if the other floors had been torn off.

Vanellope whistled as she and Taffyta paused at the entrance to the destroyed building.

"Look at it…bet it was really tall one time…"

Taffyta eyed the building warily.

"It looks like it will fall down any second…" she muttered, glancing at Vanellope only to notice that the girl was gone.

She looked toward the building to see Vanellope carefully stepping over the broken front door before quickly running after the princess.

"Wait! You don't know who or what's in there!"

"Aw, c'mon! Where's your sense of adventure?" Vanellope smirked, glancing back at Taffyta. "I just wanna check it out."

Vanellope looked forward as she began to cautiously make her way up the crumbling staircase leading to the other floors.

"And if we happen to stay the night, who cares?"

Taffyta trailed after Vanellope with a worried groan, glancing around for any signs of movement.

As they reached the fifth floor, they came into an open area littered with dirt, torn items, and small pieces of trash.

"Looks like this place has seen better days…" Vanellope muttered as she stepped into the room, slowly gazing around. "I wonder what was in here…"

"Let's say it was a garbage room and get out of here…" Taffyta looked around nervously. "I don't like this place."

"Hey, you wanted shelter," Vanellope stopped, facing Taffyta and spreading out her arms. "I got us shelter. Besides, it's only for one night."

"But this room is dirty…" Taffyta stared at the floor disdainfully, not even noticing that Vanellope had frozen.

"Get down!" Vanellope hissed, catching Taffyta by the arm and dragging her over to the wall where she pushed the cream-haired racer down and put a hand over her mouth when she began to protest.

The two tensed when something landed on the windowsill and hesitantly glanced up to see one of the large bugs on the sill, gazing into the room as it growled softly.

Gradually, the bug stretched out a colorful, striped leg as if it were going to enter the room before it paused and abruptly left as it sensing something.

The two waited, barely breathing, until the noise of the bug's humming wings vanished before they finally exhaled in relief and relaxed.

"Okay, one night," Taffyta said as she stood up, brushing off her skirt. "But tomorrow we have to find a better hiding spot."

Vanellope didn't respond as she was busy looking for the perfect spot to sleep; she soon found a spot that wasn't quite near the window, but close enough that she was close to the center of the room.

While the princess immediately laid down, rolling on her side and using her hands as pillows, Taffyta prudently searched for the perfect spot.

"What a filthy floor…"

Vanellope glanced over her shoulder to see Taffyta staring at the floor distastefully and raised an eyebrow at the cream-haired racer who was frankly acting more like a princess than she was.

"All right, all right…" Taffyta said when she caught Vanellope's stare. "I'm going…"

Vanellope watched as Taffyta carefully swept aside some of the dust and dirt on the floor before gradually easing herself down.

With a soft huff, Vanellope shook her head before resting it back on her hands and closing her eyes.

* * *

_Creak._

Vanellope's eyes snapped open when she heard the squeaking of wood and slowly sat up, glancing around the dim room; she saw nothing out of the ordinary and a few feet away she saw Taffyta still sleeping peacefully.

Gradually, she lay back down, thinking that she had perhaps imagined the sound only to sit up straighter when another creak sounded inside the desolate building, closer than the last.

Quietly, Vanellope crawled over to Taffyta and shook her shoulder, whispering, "Taff! Taff, I think someone's in here…"

Taffyta blearily opened her eyes, mumbling, "Huh, what?"

Vanellope tensed when the whirring of a gun powering up sounded behind her.

Vanellope didn't give Taffyta a chance to fully wake up, seizing her by the arm and yanking her to the side as the first bullet was fired.

Keeping a tight grip on Taffyta, Vanellope began to evade every bullet, her uncontrolled glitching unwittingly helping her avoid the spray of ammunition.

However, she soon found herself behind the attacker who instantly whirled around, lashing out with a low, sweeping kick to trip Vanellope, who fell into Taffyta and the two tumbled to the ground with a thud.

As the aggressor aimed their gun at the two, Vanellope had already pulled out her small candy cane pocketknife and had it pointed at the person, her left arm extended over Taffyta who lay halfway underneath her, completely terrified unlike Vanellope.

Vanellope glared at the person, breathing heavily, her eyes stubbornly defiant.

The attacker was only a foot or so taller than she was and in his early thirties, holding a long black gun lined with pulsing red stripes.

A blue hat sat backwards on his head, allowing a tuft of honey-blond hair to poke through; the white T-shirt and blue jeans he wore were torn, dirty, and smeared with grime and spatters of blood.

A faded blue jacket was tied around his waist, partially covering the brown belt where a short blade hung from a low loop on the right side, and the brown shoes were scuffed up.

The man smirked down at the two kids, obviously amused by Vanellope's resistance, sapphire eyes challenging.

"Excellent trick there, fun-size. Where'd you learn that—the jungle gym?"


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**This chapter is 3,000 some words guys! :D Can you tell I had fun with it? :3  
**

**Yeah...so I hope you enjoy it. :)  
**

**Happy new year. :3  
**

**Uhh...yeah, I think that's about it (sorry if you know who seems like a jerk; in this he's supposed to even though he isn't in the movie ^_^)  
**

**I don't own WIR. :/  
**

**Please read and review. :D**

* * *

Days earlier

Sour Bill stared at the clipboard he held in his hands blankly, humming a dull tune to himself.

It had been a few hours since Vanellope's disappearance and the small candy was patiently waiting for her to return; while he did so, he checked her schedule for the next day, making certain to squeeze in an hour of racing so that he wouldn't have to worry about her running off again.

Behind him, Sour Bill heard the ornate double doors open and then creak close, signaling that someone had entered.

Sour Bill knew that the only people who ever entered through the front doors without knocking were the guards (who were off on their break) or Vanellope; Sour Bill knew that it must be the latter.

"Welcome back, Preside—eeek!"

Sour Bill had turned around to greet the princess only to squeak at what he saw, dropping his clipboard with a clatter.

Turbo casually strode forward, glancing from side to side as he took in the area, ducking underneath a chandelier before it hit his head.

"Who are you?"

The bug hybrid paused when he heard the question before glancing down and lowering his long neck to Sour Bill's level.

"What do you want?" Sour Bill asked, trying to appear firm in front of the intimidating creature even though he truly wanted to turn tail and flee.

"Well, aren't you cute?" Turbo smirked as he lifted his head, but kept his eyes on the green candy. "This castle, along with this land, is now under my control."

Sour Bill was surprised by the bold statement but kept up his bravado.

"President Vanellope is currently out at the moment. You have absolutely no right to make such a claim."

"Hmm…Vanellope…Vanellope…" Turbo tapped his chin thoughtfully with a clawed finger. "Was she perhaps a brat with dirty hair?"

Sour Bill's blood froze.

"I'm afraid that she is a bit…" Turbo reached behind him, pulling out something. "Preoccupied at the moment."

Something was dropped on the ground and Sour Bill gasped.

The item was Vanellope's dress, torn and tattered.

Sour Bill stared at the dress in horror for a few seconds before he glared up at Turbo who was watching his reaction with amusement.

"What did you do with the President?"

"Nothing," Turbo grinned viciously, showing off his fanged teeth. "It was just that my Cy-bug's hadn't eaten in a while and she was in the way."

He chuckled lowly.

"I'm sure she gave them a good chase, though."

Sour Bill stared at the dress again, still refusing to believe that Vanellope was gone.

"And as you have no ruler, that means I have the right to step up and take command."

* * *

Present day

The person kept their gun pointed at the two kids, but took a step closer.

"All right, tell me who you two are. Are you working with Him? You are, aren't you? I'll shoot your—"

"Felix?"

The gunman glanced to his left as a huge man lumbered into the room.

The man was Felix's age and a hulking nine feet tall with enormous hands.

He wore brown overalls with the left strap ripped off over a red and orange plaid polo shirt with a green shirt beneath the polo; a strip of large bullets spanned his left shoulder while a huge bazooka-like gun rested against his back.

Brown eyes glanced between Felix and the two kids before the giant man sighed, running a hand through his spiky auburn hair.

"What are you doing?"

"They're working with him, Ralph, I know it!" Felix glared at Vanellope and Taffyta, pointing his gun closer at the two of them. "Talk!"

Vanellope hissed in response.

"Why you—"

"Felix, they're kids," Ralph set a hand on Felix's shoulder. "Look, let me talk with them."

Felix gazed at Ralph skeptically as the brunette removed his hand.

"Why don't you go stand by the door and keep watch for Cy-bugs?"

Felix looked between Ralph and the kids, momentarily conflicted as to whether he should listen to Ralph or keep interrogating Vanellope and Taffyta.

"Lixie…"

With a frustrated groan, Felix lowered his gun before scowling, resting it on his shoulder as he glared at the two kids.

"You got lucky this time, brats," he sniffed, stalking toward the entrance, muttering to himself, "I hate when ya use that name on me, Ralph…"

Ralph smiled to himself, watching Felix leave, before he knelt down on one knee to get to the kids' level.

Vanellope, who had stuck her tongue out at the retreating Felix, instantly reformed her guard, glaring at Ralph and holding her knife in front of her.

"Hey, there," Ralph said gently, trying to appear as if he weren't a threat.

Vanellope grunted slightly, jabbing her knife at Ralph who held up his hands defensively.

"Whoa, easy there, tiger; I'm not gonna hurt you."

Ralph lowered his hands when Vanellope carefully lowered her knife a bit, but still stared at Ralph cautiously, and the large man rested an arm on his knee.

"My name is Ralph. Wreck-It Ralph."

Vanellope raised an eyebrow, turning her head to the side.

"That's a weird name…" she said

"Yes, I know…" Ralph chuckled. "Now, I need you to tell me where you guys come from. Can you do that for me?"

Vanellope glanced back at Taffyta briefly before looking back at Ralph.

"Satokibi."

"That candy-coated land east of here?" Ralph questioned. "Why would you come all the way here from there?"

"These…bugs came…and then this other one came, but it wasn't like the others! It called itself—"

"Turbo…" Ralph whispered in understanding. "So, he took control of your land as well."

Ralph was just about to ask whether they were the only survivors when Felix skidded to a stop by the threshold, gun held in both hands.

"Cy-bugs on the move! 3, 6, and 12 o' clock!"

With a gasp, Ralph quickly looked back at the two kids before picking them up in his massive hands with a "Come on, kids!"

"Ah, wait!" Vanellope cried when she dropped her knife. "My knife!"

"It's a stupid knife!" Ralph shouted as he began to run, Felix ahead of him.

"No, it's not!" Vanellope struggled out of Ralph's grasp and dropped to the ground, running toward the knife on the floor.

Just as she was about to grab it, Ralph seized her by the hood of her jacket, lifting her off the ground.

"I'm trying to save your skin, kid!"

"Let me go!" Vanellope continued to struggle, but Ralph had a tighter hold on her. "I need that knife!"

Ralph ignored her as he ran, lowering his hand so Felix could jump into it as he neared a wall.

Using his free hand to shield them, Ralph crashed through the wall, landing on the ground several feet below and continuing to run as he allowed Felix to leap to the ground.

Cy-bugs began to swarm after the group, screeching loudly.

"Head toward the entrance!" Felix shouted as he began firing at the bugs, destroying several with a few shots. "I'll cover your back!"

"What about you?" Ralph asked as Taffyta tried to soothe a distressed Vanellope, muttering something about making another knife.

"I'll be fine, brother! Go!"

Ralph nodded and he and Felix split in separate directions as they entered a large strip of woods.

"Hey, bugs!" Ralph heard Felix shout in the distance. "Come and kiss my ass!"

The huge man rolled his eyes, chuckling to himself.

"What about your friend?" Taffyta asked, struggling to look around Ralph's beefy arm.

"He'll be fine," Ralph said as an enormous boulder came into view.

When Vanellope noticed this, she pulled on Ralph's shirt.

"Whoa, whoa, Stinkbrain! There's a boulder!"

"I know that."

"You're gonna run into it!"

"No, I'm not."

As he neared the boulder, Ralph easily lifted it up with his free hand and slid into the gaping hole that was beneath it.

He skidded down a short incline, landing on his feet at the end and glancing up anxiously as he waited for Felix.

Taffyta hopped down from Ralph's arm, stumbling a bit when she landed, and looked around.

They stood in a dim tunnel of some sort.

"Are these tunnels?" she asked as Vanellope also attempted to get down only to have Ralph tighten his hold on her.

"Yep," Ralph answered, not taking his eyes off the ceiling and ignoring Vanellope's protests.

Before another question could be asked, there was a loud tap on the rock above and Ralph responded by slamming the side of his free hand against the wall, causing the rock to lift up and allow Felix to slide down.

"Oh, I was certain that you had gotten eaten by now," Ralph teased with a playful smile, patting Felix's back.

Felix rolled his eyes, not responding to the wrecker's joke, and silently began to walk.

"Come on. We have to report in."

Ralph's smile disappeared, replaced by a mild frown, his eyes swimming with hurt.

"Right," he said quietly as he followed after Felix with Taffyta nervously trailing behind him.

* * *

After a few minutes of walking the group reached a huge area that branched off into several smaller dead-end tunnels; the area was lit by small torches and several people milled about, doing many different things.

Ralph, who had gotten tired of holding the struggling Vanellope, now held her by her hood where she continued to futilely thrash, calling Ralph names such as stinkbrain, numbskull, and oaf.

"We should take the prisoners to the sergeant," Felix said as he set his gun against a nearby wall, also placing his blade beside it. "She'll decide what to do with them."

"Let. Me. Go!" Vanellope continued to twist and turn and accidentally glitched in her struggling, dropping to the ground with a grunt.

"Easy, kid," Ralph said as Vanellope brushed herself off. "I told you we aren't gonna hurt you."

"Yet," Felix muttered.

Ralph shot him a look that told him to be quiet and Felix protested, "What? I said 'yet'!"

Before Vanellope could say anything, Taffyta stepped up.

"I'm Taffyta Muttonfudge. This is Satokibi's President—Vanellope Von Schweetz."

"President?" Felix repeated skeptically as he walked up to the group. "If you're the president, why did you leave your country in its time of need?"

"We left to find help!" Vanellope protested, stepping up to Felix and standing on her tip-toes in an attempt to make herself look taller than him. "And we found you guys!"

"I bet the real reason you left was because you were a coward. You don't know how to fight, so you abandoned your country to let your citizens fend for themselves."

"That's not true!" Vanellope objected, clenching her hands as a glitch rippled through her body due to her rising emotions.

"It is true! Why don't ya just admit it, girlie? You were scared, so you ran. And now everyone you ever knew is dead and it's all your fault!"

Fighting back the tears burning behind her eyes, Vanellope lashed out a leg, striking Felix right between the legs.

Ralph, who had just been about to stop the escalating fight, paused and winced as Felix dropped to the ground with a small yelp.

"I didn't leave because I wanted to!" Vanellope yelled, her voice cracking at the end.

"You little brat…" Felix growled, his voice tinged with a southern accent as he slowly stood up, glaring at Vanellope.

Before Ralph could stop him, Felix tackled Vanellope to the ground.

"Felix, stop it!" the wrecker said, but before he could pry Felix off the girl, a sharp voice rang out, "What is going on here?"

Someone yanked Felix off Vanellope by the back of his shirt and he was forced to face a woman in her early twenties.

Felix squeaked as the woman's stern blue eyes bore into his.

"Sergeant Tamora…ma'am!"

"I have told you to stop calling me that, Fix-It. It's Sergeant Calhoun."

Calhoun had short blonde hair and wore camouflage cargo pants with a short blade hanging from her belt, a black tank top, and had a pair of dog tags around her neck.

Calhoun glanced at Vanellope who was being helped up by Taffyta before she glared at Felix.

"Were you fighting with this girl, Fix-It?"

"N-no! Sh-she—"

"I don't want to hear it," Calhoun said, heading over to a small corner and setting Felix on the ground. "Stay put."

"B-but…" Felix protested as Calhoun turned to leave.

"Stay," Calhoun repeated firmly, pointing at the ground as she turned halfway around.

Felix huffed, scowling, and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Can't you at least _try_ to control your boyfriend, junkpile?" Calhoun questioned as she walked up to the small group.

"Sorry, sergeant," Ralph chuckled, scratching the back of his neck.

"Mind telling me who these two twerps are?"

"This is Taffyta and Vanellope," Ralph explained as Calhoun knelt in front of the two kids to check them over. "They came from Satokibi."

"Hmm," Calhoun hummed as she looked over Vanellope and Taffyta for any marks or wounds.

"Turbo got their country," Ralph finished quietly.

Calhoun looked at Ralph before she stood up.

"That means all three main continents are now under his control," Calhoun said tightly.

Ralph nodded. "And the Cy-bugs keep multiplying. The beacon at Eiyugimu was destroyed when Turbo launched his attack, as well."

"Felix."

Everyone turned to look at whoever had spoken, noticing a short, square-shaped man walking up to Felix.

The man's black hair and black mustache, which had possibly at one time been neat and tidy, were messy and his coal black eyes were tired.

The purple suit he wore was torn in places and tinged with mud.

"Mayor Gene," Felix immediately hopped up to the man. "What is it?"

"We are running out of food and blankets," Gene explained. "We won't make it past next week."

Felix nodded. "Roger that, Gene. Ralph and I will head out immediately."

"Hey, Fix-It," Calhoun called as Felix and Ralph began to head toward the entrance to the tunnels after Felix had grabbed his gun. "Since you're heading out, stop by Eiyugimu; we need more ammunition."

Felix paused and glanced back at Calhoun.

"That will take over a week by foot," he said.

"You can borrow two of my cruisers," Calhoun said, grabbing two black squares and tossing them at the duo who easily caught them.

"You know the drill," Felix stated as he and Ralph opened the packs, stepping on the hovering boards that had unfolded. "If we're not back within three days and you don't have any contact from me—"

"Consider you dead or captured," Calhoun nodded, saluting the two as Ralph steadied his cruiser. "Good luck, soldiers."

Felix returned the nod and salute before he and Ralph took off down the tunnel.

Once the hovering of the cruisers had disappeared, Calhoun turned to Vanellope and Taffyta.

"Now, as for you two," she said with a small smirk. "Why don't we get you two settled down?"

Carefully, Vanellope and Taffyta followed after the blonde who had already strode ahead of them.

"So, what is this place?" Vanellope asked as she caught up to Calhoun.

"This is the resistance," Calhoun explained simply. "The few people who have survived Turbo's attack and are fighting back."

"So…" Vanellope glanced around, noticing that there were several men in heavily armored suits and shorter men and women that looked like simple townspeople. "You guys are training to take down that big bug guy?"

Calhoun chuckled as they entered a large area filled with cots. "Yes. It was really all circumstance that my men and I met Felix, Ralph, and the other people of Naosu in these caverns. But we banded together and put it upon ourselves to make sure that Turbo is eventually overthrown and the Cy-bug threat is extinguished."

Vanellope fell silent as Calhoun paused in front of a cot.

"I'm afraid you two will have to share since this is our last free cot."

As Calhoun turned to leave, Vanellope suddenly turned around and bowed.

"Thank you for taking us in! We're sorry to bother you!"

Taffyta looked at Vanellope in surprise.

The president had never been humble before; she was one to crack jokes and refuse to let anyone lower her self-esteem.

She never had any boundaries about people's personal space, always seeming to interfere in other's problems, but never apologizing to someone for bothering them.

"It's not a problem, cadet," Calhoun said without turning around. "Now get some shuteye; I'll see you both at the crack of dawn tomorrow."

Vanellope was the first to climb into the cot as Calhoun departed, turning her back to Taffyta.

Gradually, the cream-haired racer got in after her and lay down with her back against Vanellope's.

The two didn't say anything for a few minutes before Taffyta finally asked, "Do you really trust them?"

Vanellope didn't answer, and Taffyta thought she had already fallen asleep, but the princess finally muttered, "Well, yeah, I guess so…I mean they could have just left us to those…bug…things…"

"Yeah…I guess you're right…"

It fell silent and Taffyta took it as a sign that Vanellope was asleep, so she closed her eyes.

"Good night," she muttered.

"Night…" Vanellope mumbled, curling up into a small ball as she pressed her back against Taffyta's for support.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

**haha I was actually gonna finish this tomorrow but I decided, "Why not?"  
**

**Ahh, anyway, thanks to those two who reviewed last chapter (I normally don't update with just two but I decided to anyway).  
**

**Also, I'm not gonna be updating this as often as school as just started again. -.- And I'm also going to focus on one of my original stories. :3  
**

**Sorry for errors, yadda yadda.  
**

**I don't own WIR.  
**

**Please Read and Review. :3**

* * *

Ralph and Felix quietly made their way down the tunnels, neither of them making a sound.

Ralph could tell that Felix was grouchy by the brunette's body posture; all the wrecker could see was Felix's back since he stayed behind Felix, but his stiff back was all the wrecker needed to see to understand the brunette's emotions.

To break the silence, Ralph said, "Vanellope and Taffyta are cute kids, aren't they?"

Felix glanced back at Ralph briefly before he faced forward again.

"Cute doesn't win the war, Ralph."

It fell silent again and Ralph allowed the quiet to stretch on for a few minutes before he caught up to Felix and hovered parallel to him.

"Hey, Lixie…"

Felix glanced at Ralph out of the corner of his eye.

"Did you know that I particularly liked you with your hat facing forward?"

Before the brunette could say or do anything, Ralph grabbed his hat and flipped it around so it faced the right way, pushing down the brim lightly as he went on ahead of Felix.

Felix's cruiser slowed to a stop as Ralph went ahead, a faint blush covering his face, luckily hidden by the rim of his hat.

He didn't let his feelings get in the way for long however, the blush disappearing as he turned his cap back around and catching up to Ralph who was patiently at one of the many entrances leading up to Naosu.

"I was starting to worry that you got lost," Ralph teased, throwing a smile at Felix as the brunette hopped off his cruiser and placed it against the rocky wall.

"Shut up, Ralph," Felix responded as he walked up toward the heavy rock covering the tunnel's entrance.

Ralph followed after Felix, his smile turning soft as he realized that Felix's normally rough voice had been gentle when he had told the wrecker to be quiet; it had been the voice that had gotten Ralph to fall in love with the short brunette in the first place.

Lifting up the rock to allow Felix to walk up to the surface, Ralph trailed after and carefully set the boulder back down.

"I don't hear any Cy-bugs around," Felix said as he and Ralph strolled toward the decimated building. "But that doesn't mean they're somewhere else."

"So, gather the food, blankets, and other stuff and hightail it out of here," Ralph said, picking a pear from a low branch that he passed. "Easy as pie."

There was a soft huff from Felix, thought it wasn't frustrated, and the brunette murmured, "I miss Mary's pies."

Ralph frowned faintly, understanding Felix's ache for Mary's sweet apple pies, and he used one of his large fingers to pat the brunette's back.

"So do I, Lix. I think everybody does."

The wrecker paused outside the demolished building as Felix entered and grabbed the dingy sheet that Felix threw at him before walking toward the trees in the surrounding area to pick the ripe mixture of apples, pears, peaches, and oranges.

Inside the quiet building, Felix slowly made his way up to the second floor where the majority of the blankets, sheets, and leftover clothes resided.

He picked his way across the filthy floor, heading toward the small closet at the far corner of the room.

The brunette froze when he heard a faint creaking sound and glanced behind him, wondering if Ralph was already finished and coming to get him.

When he didn't spot the wrecker, Felix continued to walk forward only to yelp when the floor suddenly caved underneath him, sending the brunette plummeting to the ground floor.

Ralph paused, a peach in his hand, when he heard an echoing yelp come from the building.

"Felix?!" he asked, dropping the peach and rushing toward the building.

He grabbed onto the doorframe as he stopped at the entrance, staring at Felix in alarm.

"Lix, are you all right?" Ralph questioned as he knelt beside the brunette who was gradually sitting up and rubbing his back, hissing in pain.

Just as Ralph was about to pick Felix up, deciding that he was in too much pain to stand up by himself, Felix hopped to his feet.

"I'm okay, I'm okay," the brunette assured, holding up his hands to stop Ralph from grabbing him. "Fit as a fiddle."

Ralph relaxed slightly as Felix cracked his back before gazing up at the small hole above him.

"Golly," he murmured, the southern accent tingeing his voice again. "I suppose I'll have to fix that later."

Ralph smiled slightly and when Felix saw it, he raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," Ralph waved a hand dismissively as he walked out of the building. "It's just I can't get over how you can go from being badass to a cutie in less than a second."

Felix scowled slightly as Ralph disappeared from his sight, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I am not cute," he muttered as he stalked up to the second floor to continue gathering the blankets. "I'm motherfuckin' badass."

After gathering several blankets and even a few extra clothes, Felix met up with Ralph who was waiting beside the rock, the sheet filled to the brim with assorted fruit and tied up like a bindle.

The wrecker lifted up the boulder, letting Felix enter ahead of him, before he descended into the tunnel himself and setting the bundle of food beside the pile of clothing.

Felix tapped the small earpiece embedded in his ear, turning it on.

"Raptor, this is Falcon. The supplies are at location 65876. Over."

The other line was silent, causing Felix to think that perhaps his transmission hadn't gotten through, but just as he was about to try again, Calhoun's voice crackled over the connection.

"Good job, Falcon. The Pussywillows will come retrieve them. Over."

Felix nodded to himself and was about to tap the earpiece again to disconnect the transmission, but was topped when Calhoun spoke again.

"Deal's just expired, Falcon; I'm giving you one day to return. Over."

Felix smirked, shaking his head as Ralph watched him curiously.

"Affirmative. Over."

He severed the connection and grabbed his cruiser.

"What'd Calhoun say?" Ralph asked, picking up his cruiser as well.

"She's giving us one day to come back," Felix replied, stepping onto his cruiser, Ralph also climbing onto his.

"Ouch," Ralph chuckled as they both started down the tunnel leading to Eiyugimu. "She's putting a lot of pressure on us."

Felix flashed the wrecker a challenging smirk.

"Don't think we can handle it?"

"Oh, I know we can handle it," Ralph said casually as he smiled before he pressed the booster button on the back of his cruiser to shoot ahead of Felix. "But it all depends on whether you can catch up to me!"

"Oh, please," Felix huffed softly. "You're so childish, Ralph."

Felix kept up his steady pace and eventually Ralph slowed down until he was parallel with Felix.

When he was certain that Ralph had lowered his guard, Felix sped ahead of him with a bark of laughter.

Ralph stared after Felix in shock before he gave a firm smirk and chased after the brunette.

"Who's the childish one now?!"

* * *

Felix carefully lifted the heavy sheet of metal above his head, peeking out from underneath it as he surveyed the land.

He held out a hand to halt Ralph who had just been about to follow him up.

"There are Cy-bugs flying around," he whispered. "Three or four of them."

"Then let's wait until they go away," Ralph replied as Felix slowly set the metal sheet back on the ground and faced the wrecker.

"Why can't we just shoot them?" Felix asked as he reached for the gun on his back.

"Because," Ralph gently grabbed Felix's arm and pulled it way from the weapon. "If we fire at them, more will come. We want to get in and get out."

Felix huffed, dropping his arms by his sides.

"Fine," he relented. "I won't shoot them…this time."

"Wait, shh," Ralph listened for a few seconds before he lifted up the steel slab and stepped out. "Looks like they're gone, but I doubt it will be for long."

"Then let's get going."

The two stepped out into the decimated land that was Eiyugimu.

The continent was barely considered livable as it had a dark green sky and scrap metal littered everywhere.

A formidable tower stood in the center of the land with a long steel bridge leading to it.

Felix and Ralph quietly trotted across the bridge, the cruisers folded back into their pack forms and slung across their shoulders.

The entrance to the tower had once been locked by a passcode, but the keypad had long since been shredded by Turbo's claws, opening the front doors to the world.

As they entered the silent building, Felix drew his gun, carefully seeping the area with it in search of any movement.

Abruptly, Felix fired at a nearby wall, but before he could fire again, Ralph grabbed the gun.

"What are you doing?" he hissed angrily. "Trying to alert the Cy-bugs to our presence?"

"I heard something move over there!" Felix protested, pulling his gun out of Ralph's grasp.

"It's the building," Ralph sighed, making his way toward a set of stairs. "It creaks. Now come on."

Felix scowled at the wall he had shot at before reluctantly following after Ralph.

A pair of yellow eyes opened up in the shadows, staring after the retreating Felix as another set of gold eyes appeared.

The two glanced at each other before they vanished with soft growls.

On the second floor, Ralph and Felix came to the enormous armory which was guarded by a thick metal door locked with a passcode.

There were dents and scratches in the door, showing that either Turbo or Cy-bugs had attempted to knock down the door.

Felix walked up the keypad and typed in the code Calhoun had given him, unlocking the door.

"I'll keep watch," he said as Ralph opened the heavy door. "Gather what you can and we'll leave."

Ralph nodded, entering the large armory as Felix stood by the entrance to the room, gun in both hands.

Ralph stared at the multiple wooden crates before him, grabbing two filled with ammunition and one filled with guns, knives, and grenades.

As Ralph carefully stacked the crates so he could carry them on his back, the wrecker heard the sound of gunfire and the screeching of Cy-bugs.

"Uhh, Ralph?" Felix called nervously. "I think it's 'bout time we hightail it out of here!"

Ralph shut the vault door with his foot, holding his cruiser in one hand, and stared at Felix seriously.

"Tell me you didn't."

"It was comin' at me!" Felix protested as he destroyed another Cy-bug, both of them beginning to run. "What else was I supposed to do?"

"Not shoot them?" Ralph suggested, throwing out his cruiser as they exited the tower. "Call me?"

"Like I had time to do that!" Felix said as he and Ralph hopped on their cruisers, speeding off with several Cy-bugs flying after them.

"Come on, baby," Ralph muttered as his cruiser sputtered and coughed, unable to hold the extra weight. "Just hold on till we get to the entrance."

The cruiser must have heard Ralph's plea as it abruptly dropped to the ground the moment the duo reached the entrance to the tunnels, sputtering a dying cough.

Ralph hopped off, opening the small hatch and allowing Felix to go in first before he slid in himself.

Above them, the Cy-bug's screeches were faint, the scratching of their claws against the ground echoing.

The two sighed before grinning at each other, Ralph holding out a fist.

"Top shelf."

"Top shelf," Felix tapped his knuckles against Ralph's as they both stood up with exhausted sighs.

"Let's get back," Ralph said as they began to walk. "I'm bushed."

* * *

Turbo lay stretched out in front of the throne, one hand supporting his chin while Sour Bill carefully polished the claws of his other hand.

A Cy-bug scuttled into the room and Turbo lazily opened an eye.

"What is it?" he asked gruffly.

The Cy-bug dropped something on the floor before backing up slightly.

Turbo opened his other eye, staring at the mangled cruiser.

With a frustrated snarl, he ripped his hand away from Sour Bill and slammed it down on the cruiser, smashing it.

Baring his fanged teeth, Turbo growled quietly.

"_Calhoun_."


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

**Heeey, guys, long time no see! Sorry for not getting this up earlier; you know, school and all that jazz. -.-  
**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. :3 The next will explain certain things.  
**

**Also, before Calhoun explains it; her and her men were down in the tunnel for 3 months. During the beginning of the 4th month is when Felix and his group showed up. Right now it's been 6 months total that Calhoun's group has been in the tunnnels. 2 months for Felix's.  
**

**Just wanted to help make that clear so ya guys know. :)  
**

**Anyway, enjoy.  
**

**I don't own WIR. :/  
**

**Please Read and Review. :D**

* * *

Calhoun stared at the sight before her with mild amusement, one hand resting on her hip.

It was seven in the morning, the normal time that everyone got up to start the day; Ralph and Felix had returned from their mission hours ago and were currently conked out on their cot, Felix sprawled out on the wrecker's chest with Ralph's large hand lightly covering the small brunette's body like a blanket.

Ralph was snoring so loudly it was a wonder Vanellope and Taffyta hadn't been woken up by the noise.

The two racers were snuggled together with Taffyta's chin resting on Vanellope's head, the latter having her face nestled in the crook of the cream-haired racer's neck.

As Calhoun continued to stare at the strangely adorable sight before her, she debated on whether or not she should wake the two up.

Giving a sharp whistle, because she knew it wouldn't awaken Ralph or Felix, Calhoun shouted, "All right, ya willowsnaps, time to wake up!"

Both Taffyta and Vanellope slowly opened their eyes, pulling apart slightly, only to blush and widen their eyes as they noticed the position they were in.

Calhoun watched in amusement as the two comically leaped apart, Vanellope pressing her back against the rocky wall behind the cot while Taffyta dropped to the ground with a thud.

The two whirled to stare at Calhoun with equal deer caught in the headlights expressions when the blonde gave a short chuckle.

"Nice of you two lovebirds to join the living."

The reaction from the racers was almost instantaneous.

"We are_ not_ lovebirds!"

"Whatever you say," Calhoun dismissed as Vanellope and Taffyta glanced at each other when they realized they had said it at the same time. "Now come on, ya cavities, it's time for breakfast."

As Calhoun turned and began to walk away, the two racers immediately scrambled up and chased after the sergeant.

* * *

"If you don't know your way around these tunnels, you'll get lost very easily," Calhoun explained as she, Vanellope, and Taffyta headed toward the large area where they had first met.

She paused in the center of the area.

"This is the main cavern; it's where we keep the ammunition, weapons, and cruisers. The tunnel we just came from is the bunkers. That tunnel,"

Calhoun motioned to the passageway beside the bunker tunnel.

"Leads to the kitchen area which has another short passage leading to the mess hall. Ahead of us is the training room. The tunnel adjacent to us leads to sickbay. And that tunnel to my left would be the primary tunnel which connects several other passageways sprawled underneath Naosu, Eiyugimu, and I'm certain, even under Satokibi."

"And no one knows about these tunnels but you guys?" Taffyta questioned, trailing after Calhoun who had begun to make her way toward the kitchen.

Calhoun smirked down at Taffyta.

"Not even Turbo."

"Sergeant Calhoun!" a voice called, causing the blonde to halt so abruptly that Vanellope and Taffyta almost ran into her legs.

"Cadet Kohut and Markowski," Calhoun greeted to whoever had addressed her. "What's your status?"

Taffyta and Vanellope curiously looked around Calhoun's leg to see two men with shaven heads in thick black armor walking toward them.

The man with dark chocolate skin, Kohut, saluted Calhoun as he paused a respectful distance away.

"The traps were full today, sir. We caught a fox, a rabbit, and a deer."

"What should we do with them?" the other man, Markowski, questioned.

"Take half the deer and the rabbit and salt them," Calhoun said. "The rest we can use."

"Affirmative," the two saluted, Calhoun returning the gesture, before they turned and left.

"You guys trap animals?" Vanellope asked as Calhoun lead them toward the kitchen.

"Yes. We have no choice. Most of what we get comes from Naosu; fruit, vegetables, meat, protein. We still have yet to find the time to plant some rice patties."

"But won't those…bugs destroy the trees and stuff?" Taffyta asked as Vanellope glanced around curiously.

Calhoun glanced at the racer grimly.

"That's what we're waiting for," she sighed. "But so far, we've been lucky."

Before anything else could be asked, Calhoun paused in front of a small brick stove where a short woman in her early thirties stood.

"Good morning, Mary."

Mary had shoulder-length brown hair, caramel eyes, and wore a purple T-shirt with blue jeans decorated with flowers.

"Oh, good morning, Tamora," Mary greeted, turning to face Calhoun as Vanellope gazed up at the ceiling. "Breakfast for you and the two little ones?"

Vanellope noticed five small holes in the cavern roof where the smoke from the stove filtered through and guessed the holes acted as a sort of chimney.

"And coffee for me as well, Mary," Calhoun added, watching Vanellope as she went over to the short stack of logs sitting beside the stove.

"Pretty soon, you'll have to send someone to Tapper to get some more," Mary said as she poured the liquid in a cup and handed it to Calhoun along with a bowl. "We're running low."

"When we get down to a cup or two, remind me," Calhoun responded as Mary also handed a bowl to Vanellope and Taffyta. "I'll send Fix-It over there."

Mary nodded as the three entered the mess hall.

They chose a small table close to the entrance and sat down.

"To get you two up-to-date on the Cy-bugs and Turbo, I'll tell you everything on the Cy-bugs and what I know of Turbo," Calhoun explained, taking a bite of her gruel.

Taffyta stared at her porridge skeptically, lifting up her spoon and watching the thin oatmeal fall back into the bowl, before she gave a disgusted grunt and pushed the bowl away.

Vanellope dipped her tongue into the bowl, deciding to take a small taste in case she didn't like it, only to recoil as the gruel burned her tongue.

"Scientists had attempted to create a bug that would help Eiyugimu in a war if it ever came to that," Calhoun explained, choosing to ignore the fact that Taffyta slid her bowl toward Vanellope who was readily eating the gruel after making certain her tongue wasn't dead. "However, there was a flaw in their experiment—the bugs didn't listen to the scientist like they had expected. The cyborg bugs, or Cy-bugs, turned on their creators and began devouring everything and everyone. The Cy-bugs were mindless; they didn't know that the scientists were the ones who had created them. All they knew was kill, eat, and multiply. We did whatever we could to contain the Cy-bugs within our country, even creating a barrier around our land and a beacon to attract them."

"So, why don't you just use the beacon to get them?" Vanellope asked, flicking a spoonful of gruel at Taffyta. "That would zap them, right? Boom, no more Cy-bugs."

"They're too far away. And Turbo destroyed the beacon when he launched his attack. And the Cy-bugs can lay 20 eggs every hour with the adolescent Cy-bugs growing to adulthood within minutes," Calhoun shook her head. "It would be impossible to think that a single beacon can gather every single Cy-bug."

"So you locked your continent away from the others," Taffyta guessed, shoving her bowl in Vanellope's face only to have the princess duck under the dish.

"Correct. And within, my men and I battled the Cy-bugs every day in an attempt to lower their numbers."

"But the Cy-bugs become what they eat, right?" Vanellope glanced at Calhoun curiously. "So, if one ate a gun, then it'd grow a gun, right?"

Calhoun looked at the racers sharply. "I didn't tell you that."

"We saw a Cy-bug eat an apple core," Vanellope shrugged. "So I sorta put two and two together."

"Smart kid," Calhoun smirked. "That's all the Cy-bug information we have and as for Turbo, I only have what Fix-It told me. He lived at an isle called Turbo Island; fitting name since he was the most loved person there. He was a racer. Him and these two other people who were twins. I don't remember their names. Then this new island, Michi Hibiki, became popular and Turbo's fans slowly left him."

"So what does that have to do with how he became what he is?" Vanellope asked.

"If you would just listen, I'll tell you my theory," Calhoun sighed. "Anyway, at first Turbo let it slide, knowing his fans would eventually come back to him. However, they didn't and he started to become jealous. So he visited Michi and met with the head racer, warning him that he was not going to lose his followers to some half-baked hotshot. When he continued to lose his fans, Turbo went back to Michi and murdered the head racer, initiating a war between the two islands."

Calhoun paused, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Everyone and everything on both islands were burned, decimated, and razed to the ground. Somehow, Turbo survived and he must have managed to travel to Eiyugimu where it's likely he got eaten by a Cy-bug. That's the only reason he looks the way he does."

"And what does that have to do with this?" Taffyta asked, glancing around her to show what she meant.

"He attacked Eiyugimu, the Cy-bugs listening to his orders like he was their king. We never knew about these tunnels; we only found them when we were trying to find a place to hide. For three months we hid down here, only coming up to gather food and ammunition during the night. Then, Fix-It and his crew came down here, hiding from Turbo."

"So he started at new war with your two lands?" Taffyta questioned. "Why? Your two continents—our continent—did nothing to him!"

"He's power-hungry. He knew with his new body anything could be his and no one would stand in his way. The beginning of the war six months ago," Calhoun's grip tightened on her coffee mug slightly, "everyone lost something in the attack. Felix lost his beloved father who left him a golden hammer as a parting gift."

_Everyone lost something._

"What did you lose, Miss Calhoun?" Taffyta inquired politely.

Vanellope raised an eyebrow when she noticed Calhoun stiffen slightly and when the sergeant turned her head to the side, the black-haired racer saw a glimpse of the second dog tag beneath Calhoun's own.

'_Ad'? What's an 'ad'?_

Before Vanellope could ask what 'ad' meant, Felix and Ralph walked into the room, each carrying a cup of coffee.

"Mornin', Calhoun," Ralph greeted as they came up to the table. "Cavities."

Calhoun cleared her throat, giving a soft sniff as she looked at the two.

"Good morning, Wreck-It. Fix-It."

"We are not cavities!" Vanellope protested, scowling at Ralph as the wrecker smiled.

"You come from a land of sweets, so you're cavities to me."

As Vanellope hopped up on Ralph's shoulder in one movement, lightly pulling at his hair to make him take back the cavity comment while Ralph laughed, Calhoun turned her attention to Felix.

"Fix-It, I want you to train these two."

Felix, who had been casually drinking his coffee, spat it out in alarm when he heard Calhoun's words.

Taffyta glanced at Calhoun in surprise as Vanellope stopped play-pulling at Ralph's hair, a startled glitch rippling through her.

"_Train_ them?" Felix repeated incredulously. "Them? They're nine!"

"They can be of use to us."

Felix stuttered, looking between Calhoun and the two racers, trying to figure out how to respond.

"You _will_ train them," Calhoun said, standing up and picking up her empty bowl. "Or at least one of them. If you don't, I will break you."

Felix scowled as Calhoun left before he stared at Taffyta.

"You. You'll work with Mary; that means cooking and cleaning."

"Whoa, whoa, wait," Vanellope hopped down from Ralph's shoulders. "Why won't you train Taffyta?"

"Look at her; she isn't cut out for combat. She'll be better off staying to help Mary with the meals."

"What about me?" Vanellope crossed her arms over her chest, raising an eyebrow. "You heard the sergeant."

"I ain't scared of her and I still won't train you. Ralph or someone else can," Felix sipped his coffee, deeming that the conversation was finished.

"I bet you're scared to train me."

Felix froze and glanced at Vanellope who was smirking.

"I bet you don't think that I'll last three days under your training regimen."

"Vanellope…" Taffyta warned as Felix calmly set his cup down and stood up.

"All right, then," the brunette said as he walked up to Vanellope and stopped in front of her. "Impress me."

He strolled past the racer.

"We start at dawn."

Vanellope chuckled softly, rocking back on her heels as she clasped her hands behind her back, staring after Felix with a satisfied grin.

"I look forward to it."


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**I know, I'm sorry I'm late! I've been busy for school -.-**

**Umm, before we begin, I have to explain something to you guys so you don't get confused.**

**In Naosu and Eiyugimu, everyone is born and they do grow up to a certain age; for Felix and the others, they stop aging at 30. For Felix's dad it was 50. Also, the citizens of Naosu are still called Nicelanders.**

**Satokibi's history isn't known, but the kids don't age past 9; they age mentally until it reaches 25. Also the kids don't have parents; I told ya, their continent's history is a mystery. Not even they know how it came to be.**

**I hope that helps clear things up for ya guys; so don't ask about anything cause I gave it to ya here. If I think of other things I'll put them in future chapters.**

**Anyway, that's about it. :3**

**I don't own WIR. :/**

**Please Read and Review. :)  
**

* * *

_It was a typical day in Naosu; everyone was doing something._

_Several of the Nicelanders were washing the windows or sweeping the front walkway of the enormous apartment that stood proudly in the middle of Niceland Park._

_Felix was helping out where he could while his father, Felix Senior, was fixing things that needed repairing with his prized golden hammer which was imbued with magical properties._

_And Ralph was doing what he did best: wrecking._

_That was his profession and he took his job seriously._

_After destroying multiple bricks that were rotted from weather or cracked in half with a missing piece, Ralph brushed off his hands and nodded at his handiwork before he went in search of Felix._

_Felix was graciously helping Mary move a crate of apples into the apartment, his long-sleeved jacket that he wore during the beginning of autumn tied around his waist._

"_Hey, Lix."_

_Felix paused, turning at the sound of his nickname, and smiled when he noticed Ralph lumbering toward him._

"_Mornin', Ralph. I was just helpin' Miss Mary with this crate an' then I was gonna come see ya."_

"_Why don't you let me carry that, Lixie?" Ralph asked, plucking the crate from Felix and resting it on his shoulder._

"_I can carry it by myself, Ralph. I'm not a little kid anymore."_

_Ralph rolled his eyes, grabbing Felix by the back of his shirt, and planted him on his other shoulder._

_The brunette squeaked in embarrassed surprise holding onto Ralph's neck as the wrecker began to head down into the basement._

"_Ralph! I'm not five anymore!"_

"_You didn't complain then," Ralph pointed out as he set down the crate beside the many others._

_Ralph headed back upstairs, glancing at Felix when he noticed the other's silence._

"_What is it?" he asked quietly, pausing in the center of the steps._

"_I miss Turbo," the brunette whispered, gazing to the side._

"_I know," Ralph replied softly, gently setting Felix on the ground in front of him. "But he chose his own demise."_

_Felix nodded and Ralph pushed down the brim of his cap with a smirk._

"_Now, come on," the wrecker said, lightly prodding Felix to make him walk. "Let's get back to work."_

_As the two reached the top of the stairs, a shriek pierced the air followed by a fierce snarl._

_After a quick glance at each other, the two bolted outside to see what the commotion was._

_As they passed through the threshold of the front door, the duo was greeted with a disturbing sight._

_Numerous Cy-bugs were crawling or flying around, causing the citizens to scramble as they searched for a hiding place away from the beasts._

_In the midst of it all, a huge Cy-bug almost as tall as the apartment calmly strode forward, thin arms clasped behind its back as it eagerly observed the chaos happening before its eyes._

_The creature halted when it spotted the stunned Ralph and Felix, giving a toothy grin._

"_Why, if it isn't my old friends Ralph and Felix! I was just wondering where you two had disappeared to."_

_"No way…" Ralph muttered as he recognized the voice. "Turbo?"_

_"Glad to see you still remember me even though I've changed since the last time we met."_

"_What are you doin' here, Turbo?" Felix asked, slowly walking closer to the Cy-bug hybrid. "Everyone thought you were—"_

_"Dead?" Turbo scoffed, sneering. "Yes, that tends to happen when people hear that one's island was consumed by flames. But, as you can see, I am obviously alive and I suggest that if you all want to keep your lives you will willingly surrender Naosu over to me."_

_Felix halted, a frown gradually forming._

"_Give Naosu to you?" he repeated. "Why in Sam's Hill would we do somethin' like that?"_

_Turbo gave a long-suffering sigh._

"_Oh, why did I know you were going to say that?"_

_There was a flash of claws and the next thing Felix knew there was an alarming warmth spreading through his chest._

_He slowly glanced down to see four crimson slashes streaking diagonally across his chest from his left shoulder to the bottom half of the right side of his ribs._

_Falteringly, Felix nervously placed a hand against the blood pouring down his front as if to see if it was real and pulled back a bloody glove._

_Turbo observed the red liquid dripping from his claws with a detached expression._

"_Oops," he said innocently, his emotionless face morphing into a wicked grin. "My claws slipped."_

_Ralph glanced between Turbo and the stunned Felix before he charged at the Cy-bug hybrid without thinking, raising his massive hands above his head as he screamed a battle cry._

_With a lazy flick of his tails, Turbo sent Ralph flying into the sixth floor of the apartment, causing the floors above to shudder from the impact and tilt backward where they crashed into the forest below._

"_Seems you two have chosen death," Turbo said as he raised both claws above his head._

_As he was about to bring them down, an elderly voice rang out, "Turbo, stop!"_

_Twisting his neck to look behind him, Turbo noticed a man in his late fifties walking toward him._

"_Well, well, if it isn't Fix-It Senior."_

_Felix Senior paused several feet away from Turbo, staring at him sternly._

"_Ralph," he called as the wrecker gradually stood up, shaking the rubble off him. "I want ya to grab Felix and git on out o' here."_

_Ralph leaped down from the sixth floor, landing easily albeit noisily on his feet, and glanced at Felix Senior worriedly._

"_Are you sure—"_

_"I said git," Felix Senior shot a sharp glare at Ralph who instantly picked up Felix and slowly walked past the elder Fix-It as if unsure of whether or not to just grab him and run._

_Felix Senior gave a nod, sneakily placing something into Ralph's free hand as he passed by._

_Ralph hesitated a moment before he began to run toward the nearby woods, not daring to look back._

_As the wrecker started to run, reality slowly began to sink into Felix and with a panicked gasp he struggled to look over Ralph's shoulder._

"_No, wait, dad!"_

_The last thing he saw was Turbo gradually stalking closer to Felix Senior._

* * *

Felix awoke with a frightened gap and rapidly glanced around only to sigh and close his eyes as he remembered where he was.

Carefully, he slid Ralph's hand off him and quietly hopped to the ground, giving a quick glance back at the wrecker to make certain he hadn't wakened him.

The brunette silently left the bunkers, heading toward the main tunnel and entering the passageway that lead up to Naosu.

* * *

Felix came out into the misty, early morning forest and started toward Niceland Park where the pond was.

By the pre-dawn light and the chilly air, the brunette could tell it was just about six, only a half hour before the sun actually began to peek over the treetops.

Crouching beside the lake's edge, Felix cupped his hands to gather some water before splashing it on his face not only to wake himself up but to calm himself down.

After shaking his head to dry the ends of his hair, Felix used his hands to gather water once more, taking a small drink this time instead.

Afterward, he stood up and gazed at the miserable apartment standing in the near distance before he began to walk toward it, deciding to enter it for more nostalgia than anything.

As he exited the lobby, heading up to the sixth floor where Ralph had stayed, Felix entered the wrecker's dusty, abandoned room.

Felix gradually walked further into the exposed room, senses on high alert for any sort of movement, only to stop when he heard a small crunch beneath his foot.

Gradually removing his foot, Felix knelt down to pick up the filthy item he had accidentally stepped on, lightly brushing it off to reveal a frame before slowly pulling out a picture from between the frame and cardboard backing.

It was a photo of when he had been young.

It had a five-year-old Ralph, already standing seven feet and 350 pounds, holding a five-year-old Felix on one shoulder and a twenty-five-year-old Felix Senior on the other shoulder while a grey-skinned boy sat in-between them, wearing blue jean shorts and a black T-shirt, resting his arms on Ralph's head as his yellow eyes glared sullenly off into a random direction, black hair falling down the middle of his neck.

They were all grinning except for the black-haired boy.

Felix snorted softly, giving a faint smile as he remembered when the picture had been taken.

Times had been simpler back then; Turbo had just learned how to race, Ralph enjoyed showing both him and Felix how to wreck stuff, and Felix wanted to be like his father.

Their friendship had seemed so bright back then, but somehow it had turned out evil.

Felix frowned slightly, exhaling gently.

"You had it all, but you were careless to let it fall."

He gradually began to tear up the old photo and let the pieces rest in his open palm as a gust of wind came, scattering the fragments far away.

* * *

Felix returned to the underground just as the sun's rays began to pierce the pale blue horizon.

He entered the mess hall, not at all surprised to see Ralph and Calhoun already sitting at a table, each with a steaming cup of coffee and a third one across from them.

"There you are, Fix-It," Calhoun said as Felix sat down. "Where were you?"

"Just letting go of a piece of the past," Felix answered, taking a sip of his coffee.

Ralph said nothing as Calhoun raised an eyebrow.

Before any more questions could be asked, Vanellope and Taffyta stumbled into the room and headed toward the group.

"Well, good morning," Ralph greeted as the two plunked down on either side of him.

Vanellope glanced at Ralph then at Calhoun, noticing that they were drinking coffee like Felix.

"I don't get what the big whoop is about this coffee stuff," she said, snatching Felix's coffee mug from him and taking a sip.

A second later she spat it out, giving a disgusted groan.

"Eww, it tastes like bitter black licorice! Gross!"

Vanellope dumped the coffee, causing everyone but Calhoun to gasp.

Just as Felix was about to get up and strangle Vanellope for ruing his coffee, Calhoun slid a new cup over to him as if she had expected something like that to happen.

Felix quickly grabbed his cup and held it closer to him, glaring at Vanellope who stuck her tongue out in response.

* * *

After everyone had finished breakfast, Felix stood with Vanellope in the center of the main hub with Calhoun, Ralph, and Taffyta on the sidelines to watch.

"Before I begin your actual training, I want you to show me what you can do," Felix said.

"Okay," Vanellope shrugged.

"But before we see your stuff, I want you to go to Roy and change into shorts."

Puzzled, Vanellope glanced down at her skirt, wondering what was wrong with it.

"I won't train you in a skirt," Felix explained as if reading the young racer's mind.

"I bet you think I can't fight in one," Vanellope teased, smirking at the brunette.

"Oh, I know you can't, girlie."

"Okay, then," Vanellope crossed her arms over her chest. "Prove it."

Felix's reaction was quite different from what Vanellope had expected.

Instead of charging at her, he calmly walked up to her and did something she hadn't expected; he flipped up her skirt.

The next thing everyone knew, Felix was on the ground with a furious Vanellope on top of him, trying to strangle him and snarling curses at the brunette; Taffyta never knew that Vanellope knew such words.

Calhoun grabbed Vanellope by the back of her hoodie, prying the girl off Felix who calmly sat up with a bored expression.

"You guys saw what he did!" Vanellope protested, struggling to get out of Calhoun's grasp as erratic glitches raced through her body.

"Yes, we did," Calhoun said, setting Vanellope down. "We will deal with him later. However, I think it's best if we go speak with Roy and see if he has any shorts you can have."

Vanellope glared at the smug Felix as she followed after Calhoun who had begun to head to the bunkers.

* * *

A few minutes later, Calhoun came back with Vanellope hiding behind her legs so no one could see her.

"All right, kid," Calhoun said as she stopped in the middle of the main hub. "Come on out."

Vanellope rapidly shook her head. "No, I look stupid."

With a sigh, Calhoun grabbed Vanellope by her hood and dropped the girl in front of her.

Vanellope still wore her hoodie, but she now had on brown shorts reaching down to the top of her knees and her stockings were gone.

If it wasn't for her ponytail, Vanellope might have been confused for a boy.

"That's much better," Felix said as Calhoun went to the sidelines. "All right, girlie, I want you to come at me with everything ya got."

Vanellope stared at the brunette warily before she shrugged and dashed at him.

The fight was pretty simple; while Vanellope attacked, Felix easily evaded, ducked, and blocked every strike.

When Vanellope was finally beginning to run out of breath, Felix decided to strike back, not expecting what happened next.

Vanellope grabbed his outstretched arm, wrapping both of hers around his, yanking him forward and kicking his leg to flip him up and over her.

However, she didn't let go of Felix's arm fast enough and as he fell to the ground, she was brought down with him.

As the others went up to them, Vanellope sat up with a laugh.

"That was kinda fun."

Felix stood up, brushing himself off, and glanced at Vanellope out of the corner of his eye.

"All right, Vanellope," he said, causing the racer to look at him. "Your real training will start tomorrow."

The brunette began to walk away.

"I expect to see you in the training room at 0800 hours."


End file.
